{"id":217,"date":"2011-02-28T10:34:11","date_gmt":"2011-02-28T10:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ariresearch.org\/ru\/?p=217"},"modified":"2015-05-11T09:35:03","modified_gmt":"2015-05-11T09:35:03","slug":"human-economicus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ariresearch.org\/ru\/crisis-resolution\/human-economicus","title":{"rendered":"Human Economics"},"content":{"rendered":"
It is with good reason that journalist, Thomas Friedman, argued in the midst of the crisis that it was \u201cTime to Reboot America<\/a>.\u201d The laws that define relationships among individuals in society have changed dramatically, hence economy\u2014which reflects those interconnections\u2014must follow suit.<\/p>\n Yet, this cannot happen by means of restrictions and regulations, since it is evident that our desire to enjoy is only growing through the years. Therefore, even if we truly want it, we will never be able to turn back time. As we develop, we constantly devise new ways to \u201cbeat the system.\u201d Instead of wasting taxpayers\u2019 money trying to reverse an irreversible situation, we must change our approach toward economy and business from the root level.<\/p>\n The solution is to start from the place where the crisis began\u2014the lost trust in human relationships. What has become clear is that we no longer trust one another: people don\u2019t trust banks, banks don\u2019t trust the rating firms, who don\u2019t trust company share holders, who have no trust in financial advisors, who have no trust in traders, who have zero trust in governments, who simply trust no one. Period.<\/p>\n But despite the mistrust, we find that we are still dependent upon each other. And the more aware of it we become, the less we will want to harm one another. Many people already realize it; now we must turn this realization into action.<\/p>\n Step One: Restore Trust<\/strong><\/p>\n Alongside the offering of aid to ailing economies, countries must explain to their citizens that we are now living in a new world. Hence, the first step in the bailout plan is to make people understand and feel<\/em> how interdependent we are. When people realize that their personal well-being depends on their relation to others, they will become the natural regulators that policy makers are looking for.<\/p>\n In fact, when a strong enough public opinion promotes values of collaboration, it will affect even those who initially want to continue living by the old self-centered rules. An illustration of this principle is that a week after it became known that AIG, which received hundreds of billions in bailout money, gave out fat bonuses to its executives, the majority of them gave it back<\/a>. They couldn\u2019t face the mounting public criticism<\/a>. Hence, awareness of the detrimental nature of our egotistical approach will naturally make us want to restrict our self-centered attitudes, and this will facilitate the beginning of a crisis-free era.<\/p>\n Step Two: Rethinking Consumption<\/strong><\/p>\n Consumerism causes us to want products we have no real need for, simply to improve social status. Conveying information about the rules of the new world will help us understand which values should prevail in our society, so that we can create a more balanced way of life. As a result, products that will remain on the shelves will be the ones that are truly<\/em> necessary, and the advertising of products only to cause us to make yet another redundant purchase will be condemned. Applying this necessary shift in priorities will greatly free resources and time, and will allow us to invest in the currently neglected realms of our lives, such as friends and family, thereby significantly enhancing the overall quality of our lives.<\/p>\nThroughout all of history, humanity has never lived in an era of such intimate globalization, as we do today… <\/strong> Never has any one country\u2019s economy been so dependent upon the economy of other countries, and never has the fate of people in any one country been so dependent upon the fate of people in other countries. Indeed, the current crisis is affecting everyone, everywhere. <\/p>\n